Changes
by DollyDolls
Summary: "Fine, then, you'll be my partner." The words that changed my life. Thanks a lot, Kakashi-sensei. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Changes

By Dolly

Because it wouldn't stop playing around in my mind.

Disclaimer: Proper noun? Chances are I don't own it.

-Chapter 1: Where It Started-

When I woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday that our story starts, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be... Okay, no, I'm sorry. This is not Harry Potter, no matter how kick-ass that would be.

In all honesty, it was a Friday and I couldn't possibly tell you what the weather was like. My memory is _not that good. _I could tell you, though, that I was a high school student in my eleventh year and I absolutely hated it. I specifically remember two particularly hormonal, overly emotional, and _very annoying _teenage girls sitting in the back of the classroom, staring at the back of my head while giggling and whispering. _Like I couldn't hear them or something._

Most people, when asked if they would like to be able to read minds, say yes without really thinking about it. My answer would be a definitive, _**'no way in hell, you moron,'**_ because I really have zero inclination to know what goes through those two heads while they're talking about me. To this day, I do not know, and that's the way I like it.

Another thing I specifically remember is my history teacher showing up late for class that day.

All right, so, in all honesty, I don't really remember these two details so much as I assume they happened because they were something of daily occurrences. Really, I don't know how our teacher wasn't fired or something, because he looked way too young to have tenure.

Okay, so that was another lie. I don't really even know what he looks like because he always wore this scarf thing over his nose like he was playing cops and robbers or something dorky like that. But I _assume _he was young, because... Well, old dudes just don't play cops and robbers.

Anyway, so the man of the hour finally showed up, and I only call him that because the moment he stuck his head in, everyone (except me) immediately started shouting that he was late, _as if it would stop him in the future or something. _Honestly, it was the strangest thing, because every day he's late, and every day they yell, and every day he just smiles (I think. I mean, the man wears a _freaking mask, _the weirdo) and comes up with some obviously false excuse as to why it was that he was late.

This is just a theory of mine, but I think he actually _enjoys _people shouting at him for stuff like this, the damn masochist.

But I digress.

Or, for those of you with no vocabulary, I got off topic.

So, he comes in, gives some lame excuse why he was late, and everybody (except me) accuses him of being a dirty, rotten liar.

Uh, which he is, by the way. He denies it to this day, but _he so is._

Once again, he just kind of laughed and went to the front of the room to begin his lesson, which started out as follows:

"So, did you all do your homework? You were supposed to find a partner for your history project." And then, _looking right at me, _he said, "All of you."

All right, so I didn't have a partner. Then again, I didn't _need _a partner. Not only was I perfectly capable of working by myself, but I preferred it. There were only two people in the entire class that I wouldn't mind being paired up with: Shikamaru, because he would just sleep the entire time and make me do all the work, and Shino, because he would probably just agree to 'split the work.' Or, in other words, have no contact with each other and do two completely separate projects. However, both of these choices had been taken by the time I could talk to them, so I just didn't bother.

"There's an odd number of students in the class," I pointed out, which was quite possibly the worst excuse ever invented by mankind. After all, the common sense solution would be to simply make a group of three, and probably lecture me on how it was 'important to get along with your classmates,' like Iruka-sensei liked to do.

But, big surprise, the man who wears a _freaking mask_ to the _freaking bank _wasn't too big on the whole 'common sense' thing. Who ever could have guessed?

I could just _see _the wheels in his head turning as he continued to stare at me (uh, which he _really _needed to stop doing because it was _kind of _freaking me out) and all I could think was, 'dear god, what is this twisted man thinking of now?' Then I got my answer.

"Fine, then, you'll be my partner."

The classroom immediately erupted with shouts of 'favoritism' and 'unfair,' (both of which _so didn't apply here,) _and he had to shout over them to make them shut up.

"I won't help him out any more than I would help any of you," he said, which I knew quite well to be true. He didn't strike me as the 'helpful' type. "And maybe you should think of this next time you're picking partners."

Oh, that clever bastard. _He did that on purpose._

I suppose I should explain for all of you who aren't as intellectually advanced as I am (don't feel bad, it happens.)

Right, the day before in class, he had told us all to find a partner for a history project. Never mentioned what it was or anything, just said to find a partner. As explained above, I did not find one. So, instead of being a good, not-so-manipulative teacher and just assigning me to a group, he decided to team me up with himself. He isn't going to help me out any, so in essence, I'll be working on my own. That's not how it looks to the rest of the class, though, so when the next project comes around, they're going to bug me extra to join their group so that we can all avoid that 'favoritism' and 'unfairness' they were all complaining about.

You see? It's all part of his secret plot to ruin my life.

Anyways, no one really had the guts to defy the scary teacher, so they all shut up. I'm not sure if he would consider that a good thing or a bad thing. Either way, he shrugged and continued on like nothing happened.

"Right, so I want you all to get with your partner and arrange times to meet outside of school. You'll be expected to do your project outside of class."

I assumed that meant that he was going to just pull out his little book'o'porn and let us all cut up through the rest of class, like the bad teacher he was. Instead, he pulled up a chair beside my desk and let us all cut up through the rest of class like the _absolutely terrible_ teacher he was.

He sat backwards in the seat, unusually casual, and... I think he was smiling. "So?" he asked.

I immediately knew what he was talking about. He wanted to know when we would be meeting. Outside of school...

Wait, was that even legal? It seemed awfully suspicious to me. Either way, I had no intentions of going out in public with this guy. I mean, seriously? Imagine sitting at a coffee shop with him and his hair and his mask and his little book'o'porn. Not happening. I have a very low tolerance for embarrassment, thank you.

"I have fifth period free," I offered, even though it wasn't, technically speaking, true. Fifth period was physical education with Gai-sensei. If you think Kakashi is weird, you should wait until you see this guy. He must put, like, hair-growing products on his eyebrows or something, because those are the thickest brows I have ever seen, and he has this weird bowl hair cut. I think he thinks it looks good or something. And then, that's not even the worst part... No, the worst part is what he wears. Green spandex, from head to toe. And orange leg warmers. But, seriously, he looked like some sort of weird, deformed, and very ugly turtle. I don't want to see weird, deformed, and very ugly turtles wearing _nothing but spandex._

I want to know... Who exactly is in charge of _hiring_ these people? There is no way they're sane.

With that said, I skip P.E. Every day. It's not like we have tests or anything, so I don't have to worry about that bit, and Gai-sensei is always too busy being slightly psychotic to notice I'm missing, so my grade doesn't drop due to my lack of actually taking the class. But there was no way in hell I was going to tell Kakashi that. He would probably lecture me on how important it was to show up to class or give me a detention or something else useless like that. To him, it was my free period.

He seemed to think about that one, meaning that he must have had fifth free, too. Or something like that. I mean, if nothing else, I could sit in the back of one of his classes and work, since I was already doing it on my own. After a moment, he said slowly, "That's only about forty minutes..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Just how much time do we need, exactly?" Surely he wasn't thinking I was going to sit around working for three hours at a time. That just wasn't going to happen. I'm sorry.

He shrugged. "I was thinking a full hour and a half at least three times a week."

Hence why he had said 'outside of school.' Of course. Well, going out in public with him was out of the question. Yeah... Obvious reasons. That meant that I would have to drop by his house – because there was no way he was dropping by mine. Nope. I would much rather invade his privacy than have him invade mine, thank you.

"Okay... My place is off limits." I thought for a minute before adding, "My mother wouldn't leave us alone." Which was kind of true, kind of not. My mother was rarely there. But if she was, she would most certainly assume that Kakashi was my one friend – if much older – finally come home, and would probably hug him. And then, when she found out that he was just my teacher, she would continuously ask about my school performance/behavior and who I talked to most often and the whole nine yards. Yeah, she was like that.

He raised an eyebrow at me and said in a tone that made me feel very foolish, "I'm not going to snoop around your room every time you turn your back, you know."

Yeah, uhuh. Sure you won't. You're a teacher, remember? It is _your freaking job _to snoop through your students' lives. Seriously, I think Iruka-sensei only proves this point. It's probably their form of entertainment or something weird like that. We are nothing more than a real live soap opera to them.

I stared.

He sighed.

He conceded.

_Victory._

"Fine, why don't we just go over to my place? I can set up snacks or something."

What? Snacks? _I am not five. I do not need snacks. _No, I don't want _snacks, _I just want to make sure I'm out of there before dinner, thank you.

"Fine, that's okay, I guess." I shrugged and leaned back in my seat to stare off at the ceiling. Oh, what pretty dots you have. It looks like someone spent an entire forty-five minutes tossing a pencil up there to make it that pretty and... Dotty. Oh, wait. They probably did. God, am I bored. "Just nothing sweet."

-after school-

It was the end of the day, and I was heading to my doom. I could even feel chills running down my spine and the whole shebang. Which might have had something to do with the fact that Gai-sensei had just passed by, but for the sake of the story, we'll say it was my impending doom wreaking havoc on my innocent little mind.

It had been decided that, since I am not a stalker and do not know where Kakashi lived, he would have to give me a ride over to his place to work on the project. I didn't really know when he was leaving, though, so I headed straight to his classroom after my last class.

He looked up when I entered the classroom and nodded a greeting. Either that, or he was nodding in response to an unasked question, but I preferred to think that he was mentally stable. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but I really didn't want my teacher, who I would be spending immense amounts of time with (much to my disdain,) to be, you know, a total loon. When the trees talk, I like to think he doesn't talk back. Call me optimistic if you like, especially considering the lack of evidence behind my theory, but those are just my thoughts on the matter.

"I have some work to do," Kakashi explained, pointing his pen in the direction of my usual seat. "You'll have to wait a few minutes on me."

I took a seat, though I wasn't quite sure that I believed him. Kakashi and work just didn't seem to mesh well to me. It was like combining two chemicals that should be kept well away from each other in order to form Michael Jackson. Two seconds ago, I was going to say that they formed some gruesomely unrealistic picture, but I think M.J. fits that description pretty well. Even if he didn't, there was some Michael Jackson look alike standing in the doorway, and it kind of changed my train of thought.

As I looked at the... Creature-thing in the doorway, I considered asking what the hell that thing was, but I figured that would be rude. Instead, I said, "And who the hell is this?"

See how well developed my manners are?

Kakashi's immediate response was simply, "Language, Sasuke." I'm assuming it was nothing more than a teacher's reflexive response to a student cursing, because his voice lacked the stern tone that was necessary to make any sort of lasting impression. So... Cursing in front of Kakashi was okay. Yeah, I recognize weakness (or, you know, apathy, whichever you prefer) when I see it.

He looked up and visibly stiffened when he saw the dude. I mean, I couldn't blame him really. I know I said that he was a Michael Jackson look alike, but it was more like Michael Jackson had somehow managed to reproduce with a snake, and this highly implausible lovechild grew up in a cave, away from all sunlight, and started wearing make up. Yeah, it was more like that. So, no, Kakashi becoming highly uncomfortable at the mere sight of this creepy, creepy man? Understandable. But I couldn't help but feel like there was something deeper to this than just 'run away from the snakey pedo!'

"What are you doing here?" I did not miss the cold tone Kakashi used to say this.

"Kakashi-san, aren't you going to introduce me to your little friend here?" I am not exactly pleased to announce that this man's resemblance to a snake didn't stop at his appearance. No, he even drew out his S sounds a little bit, which was really, quite frankly, extraordinarily creepy.

I could only assume his 'little friend' was me. The fact that both of their eyes flashed momentarily in my direction certainly helped this assumption, and... Well, I didn't even want to _consider _any other situations.

Hesitation. Now, on one hand, I really don't want this guy knowing my name. He seems like the type of guy who would give me some sort of weird mark to mark me as his because he wants my body for crazy and completely impractical reasons having to do with immortality and then follow me around and try to get me to join some band of random and extraordinarily power-hungry/loyal (sometimes both) freaks who are hellbent on destroying our country out of revenge for not giving him the power that he wanted... So maybe that was a bit over the top, but, point being, _he was really creepy. _On the other hand, I saw no reason for _Kakashi _to not want him to know my name. Maybe I'm missing something, but, seriously, why should he care?

"Sasuke Uchiha," he finally said, really quickly. I think he was hoping the man might not understand it. Hint? _It doesn't work in the books. It doesn't work in real life. They just ask you to repeat it. _"Now, what do you want?"

The Snake proceeded to ignore him again. "Uchiha, huh? Related to Itachi Uchiha?"

"He's his brother," Kakashi answered shortly, as if I wasn't there. Yeah, _I don't appreciate it. _"Now why are you here?"

"Brother? And how, Kakashi, do you know Itachi Uchiha's brother?"  
_  
_Now, I don't know if Kakashi was going to catch onto this, but it seemed to me like every time he answered one of Reptilius's questions over there, he was only condoning his 'I'll ignore your questions and keep asking my own' behavior. Yeah, but I'm a genius, so naturally, I would notice this before he did.

"Orochimaru-sama... Why. Are. You. Here?"

Or maybe not. Dammit.

The creepy man (who I now knew to be Orochimaru) sighed and finally answered. "I just dropped by to visit." He smiled. More like leered, but I think he was _intending _to smile, so I'll be nice and throw him a bone. _He smiled. _"Am I not allowed to do that anymore?"

"You never were in the first place," Kakashi snapped, really hostilely. I think he was probably scowling behind that dorky mask of his, but I'll probably never know for sure. "I think it's time to go. Come on, Sasuke."

I had two thoughts on this: _Yay! _and then, _Oh, shit. _Yay because we got to leave and I really didn't want to spend any more time with this guy than I was forced to. You wouldn't, either. Trust me, he isn't the type of guy you call up for afternoon tea. Oh, shit because in order to leave, I had to walk right by the guy, as he had never left his spot by the doorframe. That wasn't something I was looking forward to. However, Kakashi was giving me this really urgent look, so I walked towards the door, however unwillingly. It kind of, sort of helped that Kakashi was right behind me with his hand right on my shoulder the entire time (however over-protective it was of him,) but any feelings of security that came from this were immediately annihilated when, after we had passed by the creep safely, he called after us, "It was nice meeting you, Sasuke."

I think Kakashi was thinking something along the same lines that I was, because his hand immediately tightened on my shoulder. That thought? Orochimaru is no longer Orochimaru, Reptilius, Michael Jackson or anything else that I have previously called him. He is now officially My Pedophilic Stalker. I'm double-checking my doors before I go to sleep tonight. And I think Itachi has a gun I could borrow...

-author's note-

Okay, so just a few notes: My first story. Yay. So, if it's terrible... That's why. The idea came... Well, it was more like I really like these two interacting. Kakashi and Sasuke. So I really wanted to do a kinda father/son deal. The Orochimaru thing at the end was a random plot-twist-of-sorts I came up with completely out of the blue while I was still writing the first part. I like the idea, but I'm not sure if I like how I executed it.

Another note, the grammar is intentionally very casual. For one, because I think that if we could get inside Sasuke's head, he would sound a bit like a prissy sixteen-year-old girl. It would explain why he randomly smirks at everything for no real reason, amiright? For another, because I like the tone that it gives the story. I feel like any sort of serious Sasuke-like tone would make it more serious than I would like. Could be me over-thinking, though.

The chapter's a little short, so I apologize. I was going to add the next scene in with Sasuke interrogating him, but I figured it would be a good place to start off chapter 2.

So, yeah. Thoughts, reviews, etc. Loved.


	2. Chapter 2

Changes

By Dolly

Because it wouldn't stop playing around in my mind.

Disclaimer: If it's a proper noun, I probably don't own it.

This chapter is dedicated to Disney and Pandora Radio – Disney for making such lovely upbeat songs and Pandora for playing them for me. Nonstop. :3

-chapter 2: questions-

Dogs. What man in his right mind wants to own _eight. Freaking. Dogs?_ That's eight slimy, mangy, slobbering, smelly, annoying dogs, all sitting in a group in the living room – staring at me. Seriously. They just sat there, staring right at me. Look, I know it _sounds _silly, but in reality, it was really freaking creepy, and I was freaked out enough as it was with snake man after me.

"Kakashi…?"

"Sasuke."

I glared. I had _not _been asking for him to repeat my name, thank you very much. "Just what are they trying to accomplish here?"

Kakashi glanced from me to the dogs, then shrugged. "They're just trying to keep an eye on you."

I rolled my eyes. "Sixteen," I corrected bitterly. "They are keeping _sixteen _eyes on me. That is seriously overdoing it."

He snorted. I think he thought I was joking. No, I was being _perfectly serious, _you jackass. Really, these dogs must think I am a goddamn axe murderer come to kill the entire neighborhood with the way they are _freaking stalking _me.

"Computer's over there," Kakashi said, pointing to it. "Get to work."

I nodded and headed for the computer – only to stop when I heard a growl from one of his dogs. Specifically, his really, really big dog. Look, I didn't really want to argue with Kakashi because… Well, because he could probably kick my ass, but that dog was pretty damn huge, and I didn't want to argue with _it, _either. So I argued on the dog's behalf – if Kakashi got pissed off, he could take it out on his _eight freaking dogs _(seriously, what the hell?) "I don't believe your dog agrees with you on this issue."

Kakashi sighed and made a clucking noise with his tongue – the dogs immediately dispersed. At the realization that they dispersed _because _he clucked his tongue, I reached deep into my Arsenal of Very Scary Expressions and shot him a very fierce glare. He… Was not intimated at all. Right. I forgot we were talking about Mr. Calm and Collected in the Face of Mortal Peril. Bastard. "Why the hell didn't you do that fifteen minutes ago?"

His answer was simple, but it filled me with what could only be described as _righteous fury: _"I wasn't expecting you to freak out like you did." Then he chuckled.

Okay, for one thing: I was _not _freaked out. I didn't think they were going to attack me, and I was _definitely _**not **wondering how easy it would be for that one really big one to snap my neck like I used to do with my animal crackers (no, I was not a deranged little kid. How dare you accuse me of such a thing?

Look, _everybody does it, _okay?)

Secondly, if I _was _freaked out (_which I wasn't_) it would be _nothing to laugh at. _Seriously, handle the situation _responsibly _and disown at least half of your dogs. Preferably the big one. But, _geez, _you're supposed to be the _adult _here.

"Work," Kakashi reminded, completely ignoring the expression on my face. "I have to make a phone call." Then he left, though I wasn't entirely sure I believed him. I am not even trying to be mean (for once) when I say that I seriously cannot imagine Kakashi having _friends. _It was just a reallyreallyreally weird thought.

So, in summary of the time I was left alone, I turned on the computer and immediately suffered a bout of shock at the fact that his background image was _absolutely nothing pornographic. _Seriously, it was an innocent little waterfall. And, I know that this was probably an invasion of his privacy, but I immediately looked through his web history (he's the one who let me on his computer unsupervised, so it was _entirely _his fault,) only to find that the Playboy website was _not on there. _Normally, I would think that my initial impression might have been wrong and that Kakashi simply wasn't as much of a pervert as I had imagined… But this was Kakashi, so I just assumed he had stolen the computer.

"All right, I'm back." I looked up as Kakashi entered the room, snapping his phone shut and smiling at me. My immediate reaction was as follows:

"Did you steal this computer?"

Which was obviously a stupid question. Even if he did steal it, it wasn't like he was going to admit-

"Yes, I did."

Or maybe he was. I stared at him for a moment in an, 'are you serious?' manner. He stared right back at me in a 'no, I am not serious' manner. Right… So he did steal the computer. Good to know.

And then he changed the subject, and I had to force myself not to accuse him of having a guilty conscience. "Get up, we're leaving."

Seriously? Look, I had been there less than half an hour. What in the _hell _does he think I could have possibly accomplished in that amount of time? _Nothing. _And not just because I was too busy invading his privacy, either. I mean, I'm not going to complain if I can get away from him as soon as possible (weirdo,) but I think he's expecting a bit too much from me here. And that's pretty damn hard to do, just so you're aware.

So, in short, no, I did not get up. It was a battle of willpower, and I can assure you, I am as stubborn as a donkey. Seriously, I'm the most stubborn person I know. Yeah, he's got no chance of winning here.

"Up, or I'll set the big dog on you."

I was up instantly. Then I glared, because _that's cheating. _He cannot call in _help, _and especially not from _giant stalker dogs._

"Why am I leaving so early?" I demanded, finally snapping and asking questions. Seriously, I had asked none so far, because that would be in direct contrast of my 'go with the flow' rule. But now my patience was running thin. I like answers, and I don't like questions that have seemingly none.

"Because I just don't like you," he answered in a tone that clearly said that was not at all the answer to my question. My eyes narrowed. This guy is a real pain in the ass.

"Does this have to do with that phone call you made?" I challenged. "You could have made it after you dropped me off instead of bringing me here to make it." He didn't answer (ha, my logic is unbeatable) so I continued. "Or that Pedo Stalker guy?"

Now he just looked confused. "Pedo Stalker…?" And then a look of dawning comprehension. "He's not a pedophile, Sasuke."

_Yeah, right. _He's Michael Jackson reborn. There's no way in hell he _isn't _a pedophile, and if you had seen the way that asshole was looking at me, I'm sure you would agree. It was _seriously scary._

"So he's still a stalker?" I commented, just trying to annoy Kakashi by being overly technical. But then he didn't answer at all and my eyes widened. "He's actually a stalker?"

_Holy hell, _I have a pedophilic stalker. Look, I know I said so before, but I was only _joking _then. Sort of. It's one thing to only suspect, it's another thing to have _silent confirmation _from someone who actually knows the creeper. I have Lord Voldemort's second cousin stalking me. Panic. Panic. Panic.

"Sasuke," Kakashi snapped, rolling his eyes slightly. "Calm down."

So you say, but you don't have _Satan's child _after you.

"He's not stalking you."

So you say, but… Oh.

"Get in the car, and I'll explain everything to you."

-home-

I cannot believe I got in the goddamned car for _that. _Kakashi didn't explain anything. That is the last time I trust a man with a mask. All he said was that Oro-what's-it was an associate of his that knew Itachi. Both things I could have figured out for myself, thank you. Either he's intentionally being an ass about the entire thing, or he has seriously underestimated my intelligence. And I really don't even want to know which it is.

"That's the best you can do?" I asked as we sat in my driveway. I was absolutely refusing to get out of the car until Kakashi gave me a proper explanation, and he had no huge dogs to set on me anymore. He couldn't cheat this time.

"Sasuke, I honestly don't know what else to say to-"

"Bullshit." He winced. Or he would have winced if he had any sense, but I think we've already been over how much common sense he possesses, so he just sat there completely unabashed instead. I glared. "Who exactly _is _Orochimaru?" We could start there. I wanted to know if he had super powers I should watch out for before I tried to shoot him. Like a giant snake.

"I told you, he's an associate."

"You know, that's not very specific. What does he-" But I was cut off by a _rap rap _of knuckles against the car window and turned my head… To see Itachi standing there, looking perfectly casual. I instantly forgot about my promise not to get out of the car until I got some more answers and got out of the car without more answers.

"I was going to ask if you were going to get out of the car," Itachi muttered, looking at me with that really creepy empty look of his. "I guess this answers my question…" He then looked right past me to Kakashi, moving me out of his way. "Kakashi, may I speak with you?"

Stop. Stopstopstop. Itachi knew Kakashi. Itachi knew Kakashi. Look, I happen to know that Kakashi only got that teaching position my freshman year, and Itachi had long left high school by that point. As a matter of fact, that was only a few months after Itachi joined the police force – after going through police training. He shouldn't even know Kakashi _exists. _Unless… No way in hell Kakashi was a criminal. That had to be it… Right? No, obviously that was it. He probably stole someone's computer again.

"Itachi, what the _hell _are you doing here?" No, that was not Kakashi. That was me. Itachi was _never _here. He dropped off groceries once a month. That was it.

Itachi just looked at me before repeating, "Kakashi, may I speak with you?" That was his way of saying that he would answer when he wanted to. If he answered at all. Kakashi got out of the car and I went inside, scowling the entire time. Looking back, I probably should have listened into their conversation… But I was kind of pissed off, so I didn't really think about it. No, instead I sat around and moped about how no one told me anything. Like that was going to get something done.

Finally (and I do mean finally,) Itachi entered the living room and looked at me, completely silent for a while. Then I repeated my question.

"What are you doing here?"

For a moment, I thought he wasn't going to respond. Then he shrugged. "I wanted to see my brother," he answered casually, in the exact same tone Kakashi would use when he was lying to me. Seriously, _what the hell was up with all of the lying? _Itachi _never _lied to me. Partly because I never asked questions (not to him, at least,) but that was entirely beside the point. The point was that I wanted answers, and I wasn't getting them.

"How do you know Kakashi?"

Again, I wasn't expecting much of an answer, but eventually he shrugged and repeated Kakashi's answer to my questions about Orochimaru: "He's an associate." Seriously, did they _plan _that or something? What the hell? "I'll be staying the night. I'll give you a ride to school, then I'll leave."

"I don't need a ride to-"

"I'll give you a ride to school, then I'll leave." And he said it in a tone that clearly left no room for argument. My eyes narrowed.

"Where are you leaving to?" I didn't know. Even policemen came home after their work for the day was done – but not Itachi. I assumed he had an apartment somewhere, but I had never been to it. Probably because he kept a lot of weapons there and was scared that I would use them on him. And I would if I could figure out how to work a goddamn gun.

"That's none of your business. I have work. Good night." And with that said, he went upstairs, leaving me to do my homework in not-really peace. How in the hell can work when they are surrounded by the makings of a _conspiracy theory? _Or sleep for that matter. I got neither of those things done that night, and I got the strangest feeling that Itachi didn't, either.

-author's note-

All right, three things: Wow. I was not at all expecting the response I got for this. Seriously, thank you guys sososo much for all of your reviews and favorites and alerts. I tried to respond to every single review, but I probably only got to, like, five because _my laptop crashed (ohnoes!) _but I read and appreciated every single one. Seriously, thank you so much for all of the feedback. :3

Secondly, this took entirely too long to write, for a number of reasons. The main three being _my laptop crashed (ohnoes!) _aaand I was helping out victims of the tornadoes that went through the southeast US and have had to undepress myself and the fact that it literally took me five or six tries before I found an approach to this chapter that I actually liked. But I got a brand new laptop and finally found something that I liked, so, if you can get past my absolutely shameless excuses here you go~ And I will have to thank everyone who actually waited this long on me without cursing me into an oblivion _at least _twice.

Thirdly, I feel like this isn't as good as the one before it, but I tried. Dx It's also shorter than the other one by, like, a thousand words. So I'll try to make the next one longer/faster/funnier… Anyhow, reviews are always loved. :3


	3. Chapter 3

Changes

By Dolly

Because it wouldn't stop playing around in my mind.

Disclaimer: If it's a proper noun, chances are I don't own it.

-chapter 3: answers-

In a game of truth or dare, Kakashi would be the man to always pick 'dare.' Or, more importantly, he would never pick 'truth.' Or, most likely, he would just not play, but that's ruining my psycho analysis so we'll ignore that for now. Kakashi Hatake, I have learned, is a man who hates to answer questions and is very good at not doing just that. That being said, Kakashi Hatake, I have learned, is a man who I thoroughly hate.

That's what made my current situation so strange.

Itachi dropped me off at the school early that day because he had to get to work, or so he said. He couldn't have needed to get to work _that _badly, though, because he felt the need to walk me all the way to Kakashi's classroom and made me wait outside while they had another top-secret!-no-kids-allowed!-conversation. In my defense, I _tried _to listen in on this one, but Gai-sensei saw me and felt the need to have a chat about his gym plan that day.

Yeah, now I _really _had a reason not to go to gym. Other than, you know, the fact that Gai-sensei was the one who taught it.

A few minutes later, Itachi walked out, gave me a pat on the shoulder (I glared at him in return) and left, never to be seen again. At least, not until the weekend when he was due to deliver groceries. And again, I was left alone with Kakashi.

"What did he want to talk to you about?" I asked as I put my stuff down in my regular seat.

Kakashi didn't look at me, but I could tell he was smirking. Yes, I am just that good at reading people. Or I'm just psychic. Or I have x-ray vision and could see it through his mask. Choose whichever you think is cooler.

"Meet me after school today and I'll tell you."

I stared at him. "… What?"

"I don't know how to say it using smaller words, Sasuke, I'm sorry."

I would have retorted but refrained for two reasons: The first was that I was still too surprised to say anything. Surprised that Kakashi had actually agreed to answer a question (this could be another trick though, I reminded myself.) The second was that Hinata had walked in and I was pretty sure I didn't want her to know what was going on. Yeah, pretty damn sure.

-lunch-

"I love you."

"I hate you."

"I don't believe you. You wouldn't be here if you didn't love me, too."

"Believe me, I wouldn't be here if I knew before I sat down that your logic was so shitty."

"Sasuke-kun, you're such a bad liar!" Cue obnoxious giggle.

"Sakura, you are aware that lunch at a school table does not constitute as a _date? _Or true love, for that matter?"

"Yes. But you wouldn't be here if you didn't love me."

This, right here, was why I didn't like to be social with my classmates. I mean, can you _blame _me?

"Sakura, you really should just get over him already."

You know, I had never liked Naruto before. He had always bugged me with his banana yellow hair that clashed with his orange clothes (because he, for some reason, wore the gaudiest color known to mankind almost every single day) and his loud mouth and lack of any intelligence whatsoever, but right then, I suddenly liked him, if only for a moment.

"I mean, he's obviously _gay."_

I took that thought back with all the grace that a teenager spitting milk all over another teenager could. It should be noted that this was the first time in history that I had ever spat my milk out of my mouth, too. Even when I was a baby, I was too dignified to ever spit my milk. It's nice to know that my life has started its decline back to diapers by the age of sixteen as opposed to sixty, like it did for most people.

"_Excuse me?"_

"Well, it's about time that someone said it, don't you think?"

Did I forget to mention that Kakashi was sitting with us? Well, that would probably be because I forgot in general that Kakashi was sitting with us. At least, until he said that I had. Now I was suddenly _very _aware that he was sitting right across the table from me and my glare proved it. He just kept on smiling at me.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yes, Sakura?"

"Why are you sitting here, anyway?"

I could have answered that. Kakashi had been suspiciously close to me all day, always looming around the corner. I had thought Orochimaru was stalking me, but it was now that I learned _Kakashi w_as the one to worry about. But obviously he didn't tell them that he was following around a teenage boy (and not at all trying to hide it.) So he came up with another excuse.

"The teacher's table is full."

All four of us turned our gazes to look at Kakashi's usual seat at the teacher's table which was, predictably, empty. He smiled.

"All right, so I was just trying to get away from Gai-sensei for a day."

All four of us turned our gazes to look at Gai-sensei, who was standing up and shouting something enthusiastically at his teacher's aid, Anko, who looked completely disinterested. I had to give him, it was a believable excuse. No one else questioned it.

"Oh."

And then anything else she could have said in response was cut off by Naruto's voice saying a loud, "Who is _that?"_

And again, all four of us turned our gazes to look at something that sent a chill down my spine. There, standing in the lunchroom exit, was Orochimaru, smirking and making a 'come here' gesture while wearing an expression that elaborated on the idea just a bit: 'come here so I can devour you.'

"I thought you said he wasn't stalking me!" I snapped at Kakashi, who looked at me hesitantly before standing up.

"He's not looking for you," he said, and it was only then that I realized Orochimaru wasn't gesturing to me. "He's looking for me."

"Why?"

Kakashi looked at me again before shrugging. "I'm assuming to talk to me about what he wanted to talk about yesterday."

And with that he walked off, leaving a very curious trio of teenagers behind.

-after school-

When I walked into his classroom after school, Kakashi wasn't seated at his desk like he typically would be. As a matter of fact, he was seated at _my _desk, smiling at me with an irritatingly casual expression. Me meeting him here is anything _but _casual. It's important because he'll be giving me answers. Hopefully.

"Good afternoon, Sasuke-kun," he said cheerily, and I felt the urge to slap him. I wasn't going to waste time on 'good afternoon's.

"You said you would answer my questions," I said, watching what I could see of his face for any shift of the eyebrows or anything. There was none. He continued smiling.

"I did not say that – I said I would tell you what Itachi wanted to talk to me about."

I glared. Still, it was better than nothing, and I wasn't about to throw that away. So I asked, "What did he want to talk to you about?"

"He wanted to tell me to tell you what was going on." And he smiled some more while I felt something inside me tighten because _this was it_. "So ask away."

I was only too happy.

"Are you aware that, by bringing me to your house alone, you crossed the line for a teacher-student relation?"

He shrugged. "Speaking of, you never did finish your work yesterday." And I felt fury. That wasn't an answer. "I'll tell you on the way to the car. Come on." And he was up and past me in an instant.

He refused to tell me anything in the halls. Said it was too hard to tell if someone was listening in behind a door and that we should wait until we reached the parking lot. It would be easier to tell if someone was listening when there was nothing to hide behind. I couldn't comprehend why someone would want to listen in to our conversation, but he ended up being right about one thing – it was easier to tell if someone was listening in. There was only one person outside, and Kakashi wouldn't say a word until we were out of earshot. Then he spoke.

"I'm assuming you're aware that your brother is a police man."

I frowned. "Yes…"

"Well, I work with the police sometimes – I am not a cop, though."

Again, I frowned. So that was how he knew Itachi. "Okay…"

"I'm not a teacher, Sasuke."

"Well, that explains why you're so shitty at it."

"Language."

"Answers."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, muttering something about insufferable little brats. Then he continued. "Your brother is currently heading an investigation on a group of particularly dangerous individuals. He asked me as a personal favor to look after you, to make sure this certain group didn't try to somehow use you against him."

I stopped in my tracks, only a foot or so away from the car. "Wait, you mean they'll try to kill me? Just for being related to him?"

Kakashi snorted. "Hardly. You're no use as a bargaining chip if you're dead. Get in the car."

I only got in because I wanted answers and I got the feeling he would refuse to give them to me if I kept standing in the parking lot.

"When I made that phone call yesterday, I was calling your brother to inform him about what had happened with Orochimaru."

"Why does he care?" I asked, eyes narrowing. "Is Orochimaru involved with the group he's investigating?"

"No," Kakashi answered as he started his car. "But he used to be. No one was supposed to know you were related. That's why Itachi visits as rarely as he does – can't afford to be followed. The more he shows up, the more he risks it. But the moment Orochimaru laid eyes on you… You look too much alike, there was no point in denying you were brothers."

"But if Orochimaru's not with them anymore, why does it-?"

"Itachi's managed to infiltrate the group," he said, cutting me off. "Orochimaru left with particularly hard feelings towards him in particular. If the others found out about Itachi, they would just try to use you as a bargaining chip – 'You destroy all your evidence on us in exchange for your brother.' Orochimaru, though… He doesn't want anything from Itachi except to hurt him."

"And he intends to do that through me?" I asked, tone intentionally doubtful.

Kakashi glanced at me. I got the feeling he would fix me in an 'I'm looking into your soul' look if it weren't for the fact that he had to keep his eyes on the road. "You think it wouldn't work?"

It was my turn to snort this time. "He doesn't care."

There was a long, awkward pause before Kakashi kept talking. "We weren't expecting Orochimaru to come into the picture, so the plans have changed from 'watch from a distance' to 'watch like a hawk.'"

"Is that why you were stalking me?" I asked and he shrugged.

"I wouldn't call it _stalking…"_

"You were following me around."

"I was observing."

"Stalking."

He rolled his eyes and pulled his car into the driveway, and I couldn't help but to frown that the trip had been so short. Then I looked up and I realized why.

"Why are we at my place? I thought we were going to yours…"

"Sasuke, how do you expect me to watch you like a hawk from the other side of town?"

I was silent for a long moment… And then it dawned on me what he was implying. All I could say was, "Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me."

-author's note-

I am a dirty rotten liar. I seem to remember telling a few people 'no worries, the next chapter should be out in _just a few days!' _Two months later, here we are. In my defense, this took half the time of the last chapter. I could have kept you waiting for four months again. So, who knows, maybe I'll half the time of the next chapter, too, and it'll be out in a month?

Anyways, the chapter's not even all that funny and probably hasn't lived up to expectations, but I really struggled turning the serious tone of Kakashi's answers into comedy. And then I simply gave up. I was like, 'you'll be ruining _the mood _if you throw in any jokes here!' So, the next chapter, at least, should be very light hearted. I think. I don't know yet, we'll see. It's also very short because I figured this was too perfect of a place to end the chapter and I didn't want to fill it to the brim with mindless jabber (which I clearly don't mind doing to my A/Ns.)

So, in short, sorrysorrysorry, and reviews are loved. 3


	4. Chapter 4

Changes

By Dolly

Because it wouldn't stop playing around in my head.

Disclaimer: If it's a proper noun, it probably isn't mine.

This chapter is dedicated to my little sister, because if she hadn't let me borrow her laptop, I never would have gotten this chapter up. Like, ever.

-chapter 4: chores-

It took a while for us to make a deal, but eventually we reached the following conclusion:

Kakashi was allowed to stay on my couch ("Really, Sasuke? Am I not good enough for the guest bedroom?" I shrugged and he rolled his eyes) and was even allowed to bring _one _of his dogs (for reasons unfathomable to me, he chose the pug) if, and only if, he did a certain portion of my housework. As in all of it. ("What am I, a teacher or a live-in maid?" "Neither. You're just an idiot.")

Which, my dear readers, is what lead to my current predicament.

"What _the hell _is that?"

Kakashi lightly slapped the back of my head (evidently, Itachi had given him full permission to do so whenever he felt it was necessary, the bastard,) and while I let out an unecessarily loud 'ow!', he fussed at me for my language again.

"It's dinner," he answered, placing a serving of the supposed feast on my plate.

I scowled. "Where did you find it?" I asked, tempted to poke it with my fork just to see if it would move. "The side of the road?"

"No, actually, it was laying in a ditch on my way to work."

Liar.

"Really? I thought you were late because - what was it again? A dolphin needed help getting back to the ocean?"

"The ocean was too far away - this is the dolphin."

I nodded, refusing to dignify such a stupid joke with more of a response, but still didn't move to take a bite.

"Eat it," Kakashi ordered. I noticed how he had yet to take a bite of his food, either. "It's good for you."

"It looks more like it'll kill me if you ask me."

With a sigh, he stood up, muttering something about five-year-olds and picky eaters. I clearly fell under neither of these categories, so he must have been talking about someone else. Obviously.

"All right," he said, taking the seat beside me. I not-so-subtly scooted away and he not-so-subtly scooted after me. "You're the one making this difficult," he reminded. And then he grabbed my fork, put a small bite of food on it, and held it out to me. "Open up, Sasuke."

I stared. "You're joking, right?"

He stared right back.

"If you actually think that's going to work, you've -" I never got to finish because I suddenly found my mouth full of the most disgusting thing I had ever tasted. Kakashi slapped a hand over my mouth so I couldn't spit it back out and smiled at me while I tried very hard not to throw up.

"Swallow." I glared and did not swallow. "The sooner you swallow, the sooner it ends..."

Bull. The sooner I swallowed, the sooner I died. Kakashi stared at me for a moment and, upon reaching the conclusion that I was not going to swallow, squeezed my nose shut with his free hand.

"Now swallow."

For those of you who haven't realized what was going on, let me explain it to you - with a hand covering both my mouth and my nose... _I couldn't breathe. _And yet, despite this, I managed to hold out an impressive thrity-eight seconds before my face started to turn red and I (reluctantly) swallowed. Kakashi smiled and released me so I could cough, desperately trying to cough up the _disgusting _concoction he had just fed me.

"There," he said, standing up. "That wasn't so bad, now was it?"

"Are you _kidding?" _I hissed, glaring and scowling and wishing that he would die a horrible, bloody death all at the same time. _"That was disgusting! _You just wait, I'm going to call Itachi and tell him you're trying to _kill me, _and _then, _oh, you just wait..."

Kakashi was highly unimpressed by my dramatics. "Sasuke, I really think you're overstating the situation..."

_"I don't! _And I'm the one who _ate _that disgusting...!"

"You're also the one who asked me to cook," he pointed out, taking a seat in his chair again. "If you don't like my food, cook something for yourself."

_"I will!" _I snapped, heading for the kitchen already.

And that is how Kakashi Hatake managed to trick his way out of cooking for me.

-saturday-

Throughout the rest of the week, Kakashi found several other ways to get out of doing chores for me. When he was dusting, he intentionally went through things so I would take care of it myself. When he was vaccuuming, he did a sloppy job and missed large patches until I just told him to put the vaccuum up. Most annoyingly, when washing my clothes, he spent an irritatingly long time examining each individual piece of clothing (especially things like underwear, I noticed, which I suspected was because I blushed when he did so,) making comments about them until I told him to just hand me the basket.

By the time Saturday came around, I was almost relieved that Itachi was dropping by, if for no other reason than the fact that Kakashi tended to leave me alone to have top-secret!-no-kids-allowed! conversations with him whenever he was around.

Unfortunately, that was not the case this Saturday.

Itachi walked in as he usually did with an arm full of groceries, which he sat down on the counter gently. "Sasuke, would you mind helping me get the rest of these?" he asked, as was tradition. Usually, I scoffed and helped him out, albeit unhappily. Today was different.

"I'm kind of in the middle of cooking here," I answered, staring into the pot of spaghetti as I stirred. "It'll be done in just a minute."

Itachi paused and stared at me and I intentionally stared even harder at the noodles so I could pretend I didn't notice. "You're cooking?" he asked, eyebrow raised. "You're not just eating junk for dinner?"

I scowled. "Kakashi says Doritos aren't a 'nutritious meal' and he can't cook worth anything, so..."

A short silence followed this statement and my vision turned red as Itachi said, "He's been an amazingly good cook ever since I've known him... Made us these pizza bagels once, and they -"

_"What?" _I snapped, realizing what had happened.

"Itachi!" Kakashi greeted as he stepped in, raising a hand in greeting. "Good to see you again. I was actually wondering about..." He trailed off as he noticed the positively _murderous _look I was giving him. "Sasuke?"

Itachi sighed. "Apparenly I've said something I shouldn't have..." he muttered, frowning at me.

"Found a dolphin in a ditch, did you?" I hissed, completely ignoring the 'what in the world is he talking about?' that left Itachi's mouth. "_Overstating the problem? _You really thought that vile poison you cooked was 'good for me,' did you?"

Kakashi looked as if he suddenly understood and slowly backed away, out of reach of the wooden spoon I was considering beating him with.

"Kakashi, what is he on about?"

With a huff, I explained _exactly _what was going on, _exactly _how Kakashi had tried to suffocate me so I would eat his _horrid _meal that he _intentionally _messed up _just _so I would have to cook for him and his _lazy ass _(Itachi hit me lightly on the back of head and fussed at me for my language in an annoyingly familiar gesture.) I then went on to explain all of the _other _chores he had screwed up and how he would stand over me just to _make sure _I did them correctly when he couldn't even do them _himself. _And at the end of the story, instead of the _swift justice _I expected to be wrought down on Kakashi, Itachi hummed.

"Good for him," he said shortly. "About time someone made you look after the house. Now help me with the groceries."

My jaw dropped and I found myself gaping like a fish.

"Shut your mouth, you'll catch flies."

I shut my mouth and instead chose to glare. A much more dignified way to show my outrage.

"Kakashi will watch the spaghetti for you - now help me with the groceries. I won't say it again."

'I won't say it again.' That was Itachi's form of a threat, a hint that bad things would follow if I didn't do what he said. I never actually found out what followed that threat because I had always done what he said, but I _knew_ that they would be bad. Somehow.

So I scowled and followed after him, bringing in the groceries and then putting them away. By the time that was done, dinner was ready, and despite Kakashi inviting him to stay to eat, Itachi insisted he should leave as soon as possible and whizzed away in his car. Kakashi might have been disappointed, but I, for one, was relieved to see him go.

"Sit down," Kakashi ordered as I stood in the kitchen, glaring at the door Itachi had left through. After a moment or two more of glaring, just for good measure, I sat down and glared at my food, too. After all, that had been made (at least in part) by Kakashi and was therefore tainted by his germs or cooties or whatever the hell you wanted to call them.

"And stop pouting, you're not a little kid anymore."

I glared at him, too, and huffed.

Kakashi rolled his eyes and put a pile of spaghetti on my plate, followed by some tomato sauce. "Eat," he ordered. In a show of defiance, I didn't eat.

"Don't make me force feed you again," Kakashi threatened. I considered making him do just that before picking up my fork and shoveling a bite into my mouth, giving him an 'Are you happy now?' glare. He just rolled his eyes again.

"Do you act this way with your parents?" he asked, and I knew he meant it in an insulting manner. This time, I rolled my eyes.

"They're never here, so it doesn't really matter, does it?" I countered, glaring down at my food again.

Kakashi paused, staring at me with a calculating look. And then he shrugged and said, "Maybe it doesn't."

The rest of the meal passed in silence, with me eating my food moodily and Kakashi sitting there silently, apparently lost in thought. When we weren't arguing, this was how it usually was. He never ate in front of me, preferring to wait until I had gone up to my room to eat his food. I think he did it specifically so I wouldn't see his face, which was dumb, because I didn't really want to see it, anyway. It was probably gross and would make me lose my appetite...

-school-

I was relieved when the weekend was over (for once) because, if for no other reason, it meant that I wasn't stuck with Kakashi every second of the day. Sure, he still followed me in between classes, conveniently placing himself down hallways he knew I would travel down, but he had his own classes to attend as well, no matter how late, so I did manage to get some form of a break from him.

It was lunch that was the worst, though. He sat by me again and was in the middle of a _lively _debate with Sakura about my sexuality (both of them ignored my opinion on the matter, which was that they were both idiots,) when Naruto let out an annoyed screech. "He's back!" he complained and I glanced over to see Orochimaru standing there again, staring at Kakashi. Again.

My eyes turned to the man beside me accusingly. "Can't you get _rid _of him?" I snapped as he stood up again, giving me a look I knew meant to stay where I was and wait for him to return. I stood up and moved to follow him instead.

"Sasuke, _no," _Kakashi said sternly, and I wondered if he thought I was one of his dogs. I stared at him stubbornly.

"I'm coming with you," I said sharply. "I want to know what's going on with you and him."

I half expected him to make a sarcastic comment, but apparently he didn't think this the time for jokes. "It's none of your business what's going on between us."

"If everything you've said about him is true, then I need to know as much as I can-"

"Is there a problem, Kakashi-san?" I froze, the voice sending shivers down my spine. I had forgotten how creepy he was. Kakashi turned around slowly to look at Orochimaru and shrugged.

"Not particularly," he said, hand moving to my shoulder as if on instinct.

It didn't work. Orochimaru seemed to know exactly what the hold up was and smirked knowingly at Kakashi. "By all means, Sasuke may accompany you. You have nothing to hide after all, right, Kakashi-kun?"

His grip on my shoulder tightened and I winced. "If you like." And with that, Kakashi steered me after Orochimaru, hissing something in my ear about staying in his sight at all times. I was already regretting my decision.

* * *

... If I said I'm really, _really _sorry, would you forgive me? Because, you know, I've been pretty much computer-less for a while and I have some serious attention span issues... And, well, yeah... So, if it seems rushed or something... I wrote this up in about an hour because I felt so horrible about not updating. Yep.

Anyways, I think Sasuke and Kakashi's relationship is progressing a bit. Hopefully not too quickly, but we'll see. Anyways, reviews. :3


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